Ick – TIFF 2024
Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking
September 5 to September 15, 2024
Content Advisory: Suicide, Substance abuse or alcoholism
PROGRAMME
Midnight Madness
A high school science teacher tries to save his students from a malevolent vine-like growth invading his small town in Ick. For two decades, the small town of Eastbrook has been encroached by a viscious vine-like growth nicknamed “The Ick,” though one of the only people concerned seems to be football star turned science teacher Hank Wallace (Brandon Routh). Hank has also begun to suspect that he might be the biological father of his student Grace (Malina Weissman), the daughter of ex-cheerleader Staci (Mena Suvari) and car salesman Ted Kim (Peter Wong). When the Ick reveals itself to be a malevolent parasite that begins consuming members of the town, Hank tries to ensure the safety of Grace and his other students.
Ick Synopsis
Ick is a sci-fi horror-comedy co-written and directed by Joseph Kahn (Detention, Bodied). The plot of the film is reminiscent of 1999’s The Faculty, complete with late-1990s/early-2000s soundtrack, combined with other sci-fi horror films, such as The Blob, The Thing, and even the video game Alan Wake. The film stars Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) as the protagonost Hank Wallace, who is struggling with alcoholism after a leg injury ruined his promising football career. After discovering that the vine-like substance known as “The Ick” is turning the townsfolk into zombies, Hank does his best to save the town of Eastbrook, despite their complete sense of apathy towards The Ick.
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In some ways, Ick is Joseph Kahn’s satirical response to the public response of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the town of Eastbrook would rather carry on with their normal lives, even after The Ick reveals itself as a malevolent substance. Ick also seems to be tacking the generational divide between Millennials and Gen-Z, contrasting the early-2000s soundtrack with things such the TikTok “Ick Licking Challenge” or Grace’s boyfriend Dylan (Harrison Cone), who insincerely tries to be “woke” to his classmates. Altogether, Ick ends up being a fun sci-fi horror comedy.
